Vehicle-top.



W. 0. EAKIN.

VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.22. |912.

Patented Auf. 31, 1915.

commun vmNoaRAPH co..w/\SIUNGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES kPATENT OFFICE.'

WILLIAM 0. EAKIN, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO HENRYJ. HEBT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

VEHICLE-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedAug. 31, 1915.

Application filed August 22, 1912V Serial No. 716,401.

To all LU/0m t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. EAKIN, acitizen of the United. States, residing at Indianapolis, Marion county,and State of Indiana, have invented and discovered certain new anduseful Improvements in Vehicle-Tops, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to vehicle tops and more particularly to means forsecuring the back of the top to the body of the vehicle.

The object of the invention is to provide means of connection betweenthe bow of the top and the body of the vehicle which shall be rigid andunyielding in the line of strain, which may be readily adjusted toaccommodate said connecting means to variations in the distance betweenthe body and the bow of the top to be attached thereto or to compensatefor stretch or flexion in the body or bow after use, which may berigidly and securely fixed in fastening position after adjustment andwhich may beso mounted on the top as to be concealed within the fabricthereof.

With these ends and others in view, my invention is embodied inpreferable form in the construction and arrangement hereinafterdescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear view in elevation of a portion of avehicle body and a portion of the top, with the fabric partly brokenaway to show the connecting strap; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinalsection through the strap and top and strap fastener; Fig. 3, a crosssection on line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a detail enlarged section throughthe strap fastener at right angles to Fig. and with the strap secured;Fig. 5, a view similar to Fig. 4, with the strap in engagement with thefastener, and Figs. 6 and 7, a detail elevation and sectional view of amodified form of fastener. v

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the body of the vehicle, 2 the fabric ofthe top and 3 the bow of the frame of the top, which eX- tends acrossthe upper rear end of the latter. The fabric of the top, as is usual, ismade in two layers or pliesunited,l and between these layers is formed avertical pocket 4 extending from the bow 3 to the lower edge of thefabric and open at its lower end. A metallic strap 5, made preferably ofa thin, pliable strip, is permanently secured by nails or screws 6 atits upper end tothebow 3 and thestrap extends through the pocket 4 andis concealed thereby throughout the vertical length of the fabric, andprojects out through the open ylower end of the pocket. At its lowerendv this strap is doubled back upon itself to provide a loop 7. Owingto the extension of the strap afforded by the loop and the pliability ofthe metal of the strap, the effective length of the latter may beincreased or shortened by bending the straps at different points andthus lengthening or shortening the loop.

The loop 7 is adapted to engage a tongue or cross bar 8 mounted in aclamp. This clamp consists preferably of an integral looped or doubledsection of metal and comprising a base strip 9 bearing against the bodyof the vehicle and an outer clamping plate or strip 10. The cross bar ortongue 8 is preferably made separate and removablek from the clamp andis preferably provided with a bur or corrugation 11 adapted to engage acorresponding depression in either the limb 9 or limb 10 of the fastenerclamp, whereby the tongue is removably attached to the clamp member, sothat the two parts may be more readily handled, and may be appliedtogetherk to the vehicle body. Screws 19., 13, pass through the twolimbs of the clamp member and the tongue and into the body of thevehicle. The screw 13, which engages the separated ends of the clampmembers 9 and 10 serves as a pressure means to clamp the outer member10, the strap, the tongue and thebase member together.

The arrangement above described is shownr the loop from bending open andaid thel tongue in gripping the strap. To further add to the clampingaction on the loop a set screw 14 mayV be provided which engages andpasses through the outer clamping plate 10 and the inner end of whichbears against the loop of the strap.

In Figs. .6 and 7 a modified form of strap fastener is shown in'whichthe pliable strap here numbered 15 is not looped or doubled at its endbut has its free end adapted to eXf tend between the two clampingmembersl 16,

and 17 of a metallic clamp body. The Vseparated ends of the clamp 'are`vadapted )to be connected and the outer clamp member pressed againstthe strap by means of Ian adjusting screw.

against and into the surface of the strap,

thus ltightly `clamping 'the latter 'in place. To adjust the strap tothe 'top and body, -in the foi-moi vdevice shown in Figs. l5 and 6, theend of the strap is drawn through the clamp until the proper adjustmentof the top relative 'to the body i-sobtained, then the strap clamped inplace, Yand the 'excess end portion of the strap cutoff or bent up, uponitself.

In vehicle tops, especially in automobile tops, diiliculty has beenexperienced heretofore in obtaining the proper iit and adjustmentbetween the top and the body 'of the .fehicle. It frequently happensthat, owing to variationsin sie'of the bodies and variations in the'form of the fra-me 'of the top, that the strap or similar meansemploy-ed to connect the bow yof i'the top to th'e body of the vehicleis not of the exact length requ-ir'ed to rigidly Connect these parts. Ithas been Ausual to employ leather 'strap for each connecting-means,which strap has been provided with an adjusting buckle between its ends.These 'leather straps, it has vbeen found, will lfrequently break whenattach# ing thetop to the body and subjecting the strap to the severestretching strain neces'- sary to be applied to obtain the relativerigidity between bow and body vand 'also owing to the counter strainimposed by the front straps. If it is necessary to take up the strap inlength in adjusting'it to the top, the buckle used in the leather strap'doeslnot afford close degree `of adjust-ment and hence the desiredrigidity will not be 'attained. rhe strap also is subjected to 4greatstrain in use due to the shocks iinpar'ted to the top from the body ofthe vehicle. Such lleznzher strap is also objectionable in respect toitsappearance and as anobstruction.

' lVith my invention consisting of the me` tallic strap, unyieldin-glongitudinally, but pliable, so as to yield with the transverse foldingof the fabric and so as to perm-it manipulation Aof the strap foradjustment, a strong inherently @adjustable fasten-er strap is provided,which'can be adjusted to Y any ydegreeyand which in conjunction with thepocket-bear1ng fabric, a-ii'or'ds a con'- The inner face of theouteiclamp `member 17 lis'provided with inwardly projecting burs orcorrugations A-19,

struction in which no part of the connecting means 'appears to view 'oroifeis a'ny obstruction.

It is clear that changes in the detail of Vthe embodiment of myinvention, within the scope of lthe appended claims, may be made withoutdeparture from the principle ofthe invention.

Having thus described my invention what l claim is,

i. nl embassies with a veuieie nop', a

fiat "liabl-e strap adapted to connect the upper 4rear bow meinbe-i 4of*the top and the body of the vehicle, 'said strafp having `rits lowerfree end Vdoubled upon itself to form a loep fiictional fastening meanson the vehicle body having a member around whieli said loop passes A'andhaving means to force said ii'ieinbe'r into frictio'nal #grippingcontact withthe surfaces of l-tliellooped porti-ons of fthe strap,substantially as described.

Q. 1n combination with ayehi'cle top, -a flat pliable metallic strapadapted to co'nneet the bow of the top andthe body vof the vehicle, andhaving its llower end doubled back on itself -to form a loop, fasteningmeans for said strap birth-e vehicle body, comprising fiictionallyclamping members operable to receive Vbetween them and clamp said strapand a c'rossmember Aadapted to engage vsaid loop, substantially asdescribed.

3. Tn combination with 'a vehicle top and its bow, a lla't, 'metallicstrap adapted to connect said bow and the body of the vehicle andrigidly connected at its upper end to the bow and its other 'end `freeand -having looped lower 'end and fastening means on *the Vehicle bodyhaving rclamping Vmeinbers and a separate member cletacliably se'-cu-red to 'said faste'ninfgr means, and adapted to venga-ge the loop ofsaid strap, substantially asdescribed.

4.,.1-1'1' 'combination with a metallic connecting/strap doubled at oneend to form a loop, fastening means therefor consisting of an integralbody of `metal having folded clafniping members 'at 'one end and adaptedto receive between them the lower end of the strap, and a tongueparallel to said clamping members detachably clipped 'to said fasteningmeans, and operable to engage 'said loop of the stra'p, ineaiisfto forcesaid clamping members, stra-p and tongue together, substantially asdescribed.

In Vwitness whereof, V l h'ave hereunto set my hand and seal faftIndianapolis, Indiana, this 119th day nf August, A. D. nineteen hundredand twelve.

VILLIAM EAKIN. [Ls] Witnesses:

j H. lP. Doonrr'inn,

A. fs. Rien.

Copies ofthis ps1-:e111: Lmay"lie.nitaindf.for Tiyeentsjeachhlyefddresing the4 Commssner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

